


Aide

by Simple_Writer



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-21 23:06:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13153932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simple_Writer/pseuds/Simple_Writer
Summary: Will made a promise to Nico's mother that he'd take care of her son after she passes away. The only issue is that Nico doesn't feel like he needs anybody to take of him. Luckily, Will is just as stubborn.





	1. Chapter 1

Will made certain that the door to the bedroom made no noise when it closed. The hallway was only lit by the light that came through the cracks of the opposite door. Mr. Di Angelo was still up, as always. In all the weeks since he had came to the Di Angelo house, he had never seen Mr. Di Angelo go into the bedroom while his wife was asleep. Will didn’t blame him. He had wanted to but he couldn’t. Maria was dying and it showed. Her face had a permanent sunken look to it and her hair was thinning. Her once olive skin was becoming paper-like and translucent. Even with his assistance, she could do little more than get herself up in the morning. 

“Solace, come here.”

He made sure to make his presence known before entering the office.

As always, Mr. Di Angelo was dressed in a suit. He could not picture the man in anything other than the suit. With the jet black hair, large stature, and permanent scowl on his face, the man was a living Lucifer. Even his own secretary seemed to be afraid of him. He had always assumed that the man liked it, the fear in his opponent’s eyes when he entered the room. Papers were stacked neatly on his desk and logs were alive and crackling in the brick fireplace, the man’s favorite trash bin for his work when he was irritated. Everything in the room was like it always was except that there was a teenage boy standing against one wall. His head was down and he was dressed in all black. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that the boy was part of the decor, considering Mr. Di Angelo’s taste in art.

“Solace, this is my son, Nico.”

The boy did not move when his name was mentioned.

“Hello, Nico. I’m Will-”

Mr. Di Angelo pointed a finger directly at him, while looking intensely at his son, “You will be helping him take care of your mother. Do you hear me, Nico.”

Nico lifted his head, allowing Will to get a better look at his face. He looked very much like his mother, with dark circles around his eyes and a sallow look on his face. The only thing that told him that this boy was indeed Mr. Di Angelo’s son was his frown and the dark hair that fell in front of his face. Maria never frowned. It was a strange expression, a bit of irritation and worry. She never worried.

“Answer me.”

“Yes, Father.”

The man shook his head, looking more exhausted than Will ever saw him before, “Don’t disappoint me again, Nico. You’ll start tomorrow. Solace will tell you what to do.”

Nico nodded, still not moving from the wall.

“You may leave. Tell him what he needs to do, Solace.”

Will nodded. Mr. Di Angelo stood up and began to loosen his tie. He went past the both of them into a room that was connected to the office. The log fire, which burned bright only moments before began to flicker.

Once they were both out in the dark hall, Will turned to Nico and stuck out his hand. Nico stared at it blankly, his hands still in the pocket of his jumper. A bit shaken by the lack of response, he swung his arm over Nico’s shoulder, an attempt to be friendly. He felt the boy stiffen beneath him.

“So, what’d you do to make the old man angry, kid.”

Nico pulled away from him, “You’re not even that much older than me.”

Startled, he put his hands up, “I didn’t mean to offend you, dude. How about I make you something to eat to make up for it? You look like you just got here and you’re going to have a long day tomorrow.” 

“I’m not hungry,” Nico said defensively, only to be given away by his stomach giving a loud rumble.

Will laughed, guiding them down the stairs in the dark, “No need to be stubborn there. C’mon it’ll be quick then you can get to bed. What is it right now? Midnight?”

“It’s almost one.”

Once they entered the kitchen, Will switched on the light. Nico sat himself down at one of the stools and began looking anywhere but at him. Mr. Di Angelo never mentioned having a son before, although he rarely ever mentioned anything that he didn’t consider important in the moment. However, he was certain that Maria never said anything about Nico either. She had only spoken of her daughter, Bianca, who was away at NYU, studying law. Maria was quite proud of her daughter. Bianca sent home a letter every week and Maria always made Will read them to her. When Bianca sent pictures, she had him describe them to her because her eyes were getting weak. Not once in the past month had she mentioned having a son.

“So how old are you anyways?”

“Eighteen.” 

“We’re the same age?”

Nico shrugged, his eyes looking down at the marble countertop, “Yeah, I guess.”

Will fired up the stove and took a few eggs out of the fridge, “Would’ve never guessed. You okay with omelettes? They’re quick.”

“Yeah.”

He took a bowl out of the cupboard and broke in a few eggs, whisking them with a fork as he looked over at Nico. The boy was extremely pale with a slight olive undertone, almost like Maria. From what he had seen in pictures, Bianca looked much healthier but overall, quite similar to Nico. They had the same dark hair and eyes and Maria’s soft features. Aware of the attention, Nico looked up to glare. Maybe the boy was more like his father than he initially thought. Will smiled back, quite amused by the expression.

“What?”

“I was thinking that you looked like your sister.”

“You know my sister?” Nico continued to stare him down with his glare, which only made Will smile even wider.

“Nope,” Will responded while chopping up a few vegetables, “just saw her in some pictures she sent to your mother. She seems to be having fun in the city. Do you see her often?”

“No. She doesn’t come home a lot.” 

“Could almost say the same for you. I didn’t know our parents had a son until right now. You away at college too?”

Nico shifted in his seat, “No. I’m going to be going to the community college here for the summer before going to-.”

“The one down by the hospital?”

“Yeah.”

“I go there too, at least for the summer! We can go together! I’ll walk you there. It isn’t a far walk. I generally walk, unless it’s raining, then I drive.”

Nico did not look too fond of the idea and grimaced at the thought of it, “You’re too happy. It’s just school. All you Californians are too happy. How are you my mom’s nurse if you’re my age?”

Will hummed, “Well I’m just an aide and I’ve already got my associate’s degree.”

“Then what are you doing going to school?”

Will was amused that Nico was speaking to him, even if he was mildly attacking him, “Well I’d still like a bachelor’s at least. If I have the money I’d like to try to get into medical school in a few years.”

Nico only frowned.

“I’ve been going to my college for two years already. The omelet's done. Hope you don’t mind some onions.”

He plated the omelette and pushed the plate in front of Nico, who poked at it with a fork a few times before taking a bite. After a few slow chews, he began to shovel the omelette down, all modesty out the window. Will felt rather proud of himself and sat down across from Nico to watch him eat. Nico seemed to notice but did nothing about it, only serving to make Will happier. He still couldn’t believe that the boy was his age. Even when they were sitting, Nico was a good head shorter than him. The old grandfather clock in the hallway by the door struck one and let out a low groan.

“Just put the plate in the sink when you’re done. You’ll need to be up and dressed by six tomorrow. I’ll tell you what to do then.” 

Swallowing what was left in his mouth, Nico stared at him blankly, “Six?”

“Yup. Rising with the sun. It’s fun,” Will hummed.

“Fun, sure.”

The next morning, Will had already gone on a run and washed himself up before Nico grudgingly came into the kitchen. His hair pointed in all directions and he appeared to almost be sleep walking. The housekeeper, Fatima, tsked when she saw him before going about preparing breakfast for the family. Nico rested himself on the kitchen island, groaning as he stretched his back. As he leant back, his sweater rose on his stomach, exposing the thinnest strip of bare skin. Will quickly looked away and poured two cups of coffee.

“Want any cream?”

Nico shook his head, “I like it black.”

Will passed him the cup of coffee, which Nico cradled in his hands. For his own, he threw in a splash of milk. He’d be damned before he drank coffee black like the rest of the household. Even Maria, who could barely handle sour fruit, insisted that she drink her coffee black. He sipped on his coffee as he began to make a pot of oatmeal. 

He pointed at the fridge, “You can get your mom’s berries ready. Make sure they’re ripe. Whip up some cream while you’re at it.”

Nico dragged himself to the fridge, making such a dramatic display that even Fatima couldn’t hold back her laughter. The middle aged woman covered her mouth to hide back her smile as she worked around them. Mr. Di Angelo always ate a large breakfast because he was often too busy at work to eat lunch. She left the room carrying a large platter of bacon, eggs, and toast, which seemed to catch Nico’s attention.

“We can eat after we finish Maria’s, I mean your mom’s.”

Nico gave him no response and went back to slowly whipping the cream. Will sighed and dropped in a few drops of oil into the pot of oatmeal. In a separate pan, he warmed up some milk and dropped in a few crushed pills. Maria hated swallowing them and Will didn’t believe she could. The woman, stubborn as she was, barely had the energy to eat. After dropping in a vanilla pod, he poured the mixture in with the oatmeal.

Once they were both done, Will prepared a glass of orange juice and arranged the meal on a silver breakfast tray. Despite her love for coffee, Will had to follow the doctor’s orders. Nico stood to the side, not looking at anything in particular. When he started to hear towards Maria’s bedroom, Nico stayed a few steps behind. 

Maria was already awake, gazing at the television in front of her bed. The upper part of her bed was lifted so that she was propped up and able to watch the screen. It was turned onto some news channel and the volume was put on high. She didn’t seem to be aware of their presence until Will greeted her. Nico stayed a little behind, but Maria seemed to notice him almost instantly.

“Nico, you’re back! I’m so glad you’re safe. I was so worried. Come here son.”

Nico sat awkwardly on the couch besides Maria’s bed. Will sat on her other side and placed the tray on an adjustable table besides her. He sat down and held up a spoon of sweetened oatmeal for her. She took a bite and sighed, shaking her head. 

“There are more pills again, isn’t there?”

“Only two more.”

Nico seemed quite uncomfortable as his mother held onto his hand. Her hand was becoming quite skeletal, with each bone pressing up against her paper thin skin. Will could see why Nico was scared of seeing his mother that way. She was withering away to nothing. There were multiple portraits and pictures of her in the house. In all of them, she looked bright and beautiful. Actually, there were  _ only  _ pictures of her in the house. Will had always found it peculiar that there were little to no family portraits but he has assumed that the family did not have time to put them up. Mr. Di Angelo had said that the house and their stay here was temporary. The house they had lived in before was in Los Angeles, a good hour south of the new house. He had claimed that the air here was better for his wife. Mr. Di Angelo rarely spoke of his children.

Maria continued to accept spoonfuls of oatmeal but could not finish the berries. She didn’t even attempt to take a sip of the orange juice. She claimed that she was full. By the way she held onto Nico’s hand, Will felt that it was a sign for him to leave. He picked up the tray and walked back down stairs, careful not to trip. 

Once he left, he heard Maria harshly whispering, her voice raspy and weak. He was unable to tell if she was crying or if she was scolding him. Not wanting to get himself involved in their family troubles, he moved even quicker. 

“I did not know that he was bringing Nico on the trip. He drove the whole way,” a stranger’s voice insisted.

After a while, with no response, the voice began to speak again, “I’ll make sure he won’t do it again. I’ll bring him here to apologize as soon as I can. He is a good boy, he just gets himself into trouble a lot.”

“I do not care about his troubles, I only care when my son is involved in it. Nico was never like that before he met  _ him _ .” The voice was obviously Mr. Di Angelo’s. Will hesitated entering the room and instead stood on the last step, waiting for Mr. Di Angelo and his visitor to leave. The man was rarely pleasant but being in his presence when he was angry was plain terrifying. 

“Yes. I assure you I know. It will not happen again. Sally and I have already taken his keys. He will not be driving for the rest of the summer.”

Mr. Di Angelo did not answer and left the room agitated. Will lowered his head when the man past him. He continued his way to the kitchen, passing the man that Mr. Di Angelo was talking to. The man oddly reminded him of Mr. Di Angelo, with broad shoulders and a large stature. However, there was none of the sharp features. His skin was warm and his eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. Even with the black suit and sour expression on his face, he seemed to have a rather happy disposition. It almost reminded Will of his own father.

Once the man took notice of him, he gave him a nod and was on his way out. Fatima was cleaning up what was left of Mr. Di Angelo’s breakfast and shaking her head. 

“Things are not good for the boy,” she whispered as if telling a secret. She inched closer to him, her eyes lighting up with delight in the new information, “his father is very unhappy with him. Hades, good man, never this unhappy.”

Then it struck him, Fatima had been the Di Angelo’s housekeeper for over a decade. As much as he didn’t want to stick his nose into Nico’s business, he felt the need to know at least what was going on.

“How come?”

Fatima hummed as she picked up some plates, walking towards the kitchen. Will chased after her to humor the lady, being careful with the platter in his hands. Once they were in the kitchen, Fatima placed the dishes in the sink and urged him to do the same. Casually, she turned on the faucet.

“He has run away. Worried his poor mother very much. Worrying is very bad for her condition, yes?”

“Run away?” Will could hardly think of Nico running away. The boy looked so frail. He doubt that Nico could run a mile.

She nodded, “Run away to Las Vegas. Stayed in a hotel he did. Big fancy hotel with bright lights. Aye, so much money for a hotel. Such a waste of money. Not very smart of him. No, no. He used a credit card. A credit card while running away? Hades found him. Like that!” Fatima slapped her hands together, looking quite proud of herself. 

“Why was he in Vegas?”

Fatima shrugged, brushing a piece of dark hair out of her face before turning towards the plates. She gave him a brief look. Will looked behind them and saw Nico standing in the doorway, his body quite stiff and his head hung. 

“My mom wants her coffee.”

Relieved that Nico did not overhear them, Will quickly headed towards the cupboard and took out a carton of decaf grounds, “You think she’ll mind this?”

“Probably, but it’s better than nothing.”

Will put the grounds in the french press and poured in some boiling water. Nico still stood in the doorway, looking even more uncomfortable than before. Unlike his father, Nico seemed to be able to make his presence almost invisible. He was shorter than average and his legs were incredibly thin, which was only emphasized by the tight pants he wore. Fatima, making quick work of the dishes, wiped her hands and nudged Will’s shoulder as she left the room. 

“So, how’s my mom?”

“There’s not much to say about that. I think you can see it.”

Nico just looked at the floor for a moment, “What should I do?”

“You can organize her pills. A new shipment should have come this morning. Fatima always puts them on the table in the hall. There’s a list on the counter.”

Nico nodded and went to work. Coming back out of the hall with a large white package about the size of a small microwave, “Is this it? There’s so much.”

“The IV fluid hasn’t come yet,” Nico quickly hung his head, his face possibly paler than it was before. Not wanting to worry him anymore, Will poured the cup of coffee and offered to bring it back up to Maria. Nico didn’t acknowledge him, his eyes glued to the bottles inside the box. It had shocked Will the first time he saw them too. However, Maria was dying and the pills made sure that her organs still functioned and that the pain was not unbearable.

He knocked twice on the door, which was answered by Maria’s soft voice. 

At the sight of the steaming cup, her face lit up, “I knew you would come through, Will. Sit here.”

She took the cup from him but he made sure to keep his hands close by incase her arms gave out on her. Maria gingerly blew on the cup before taking a sip. The expression on her face told him that she could tell that it wasn’t the real thing but she still took another sip. 

“Nico is a very sensitive boy. I hope you do treat him well, dear.” 

“Of course I will.”

Maria rested the mug on her lap, her eyes glassy, “Your father told me that I have about a month left.”

Will could not answer. Maria spoke of her death with an ever increasing intensity and it worried him. It was inevitable, but this woman treated her death as if it was a planned vacation- just a day marked on a calendar. 

“The pills and this,” she gestured to her nebulizer and her IV rack, “are to prolong it, aren’t they? I don’t want them anymore, Will.”

“But he said-”

“I told him. Apollo said it was okay if I wanted it. No more pills, Will. They make it hard to think. My mind, it’s a blur. I want my last month to be free of that.”

Will clenched his fist at his sides, “It’ll hurt.”

Maria just smiled as she took another sip of coffee, “I’ve been like this for seven years, Will. I haven’t felt a thing since your father put me on these pills. I only feel tired. A little bit of pain will be a small price to pay to have some peace of mind. My sweet son is back and my heart is at ease. I think I will be fine.”

“Does Mr. Di Angelo know?”

“I have not told him but there is nothing my husband can do about it. He knows I won’t let him take me to get any more treatments or surgery. He will listen to my wishes,” she said, completely assured. Afterall, as terrifying as the man was, he loved his wife. Even if he was too terrified to see her asleep with how frail she has become, he still came in every afternoon to sit and read to her. If he had the day off, he would push her to the beach so they could have an early dinner by the sea.

“Now, Will. Nico won’t take this as easily. I had called Bianca last night and told her. Even she did not take it well. She’ll be coming home soon. Aren’t I a lucky woman? But Bianca always takes things better than Nico. He’s too sweet.”

Nico, sweet, sure.

“He and Hades will move back at the end of the summer. I won’t be there anymore. I know it may be much to ask, but I’d like you to go with them. My husband and my son do not get along too well. Nico is a special kid.”

“But school-”

Maria moved quicker than he’d ever seen her to grab his hands, the cup of coffee now sitting in her lap,“I have spoken with Apollo at great lengths about this situation. We have everything planned. He will get you a car. It isn’t too far of a drive. Just until he graduates.”

He squeezed her hand but Maria still looked at him expectantly, “I will.”

A few tears welled up around the edges of her eyes and she gave him a silent thanks. She once again grabbed the cup of coffee and gazed at a picture on the wall. Like all the pictures in the house, it was a picture of her. In the picture, her olive skin was glowing and her raven hair was piled on top of her head, held back by a sparkling silver band. She was smiling and looking off in another direction, unaware of the white petals falling on her. She had once told him that it was a wedding portrait. There was another one of Mr. Di Angelo but he did not put it up. At times, when the drugs made her delirious, she would often reminisce about her wedding day, of how Mr. Di Angelo wouldn’t stop blushing and how the centerpieces were so purple they were almost black.  

“Don’t tell Nico.”

Even though he had barely heard of Nico, he felt that it was wrong, hiding things from him. Afterall, he was Maria’s son. However, Maria looked at him so pleadingly he could not possibly turn her down.

“I won’t. I promise.”

He went back downstairs to find all the pills put into their proper containers and Nico sitting down, quite rigidly, as he read a book that was laid down on the table. Fatima was nowhere to be seen but an elaborate breakfast tray, consisting of another cup of coffee, thick slices of toast, homemade blackberry jam, and a glass bowl of pomegranate seeds hinted at her presence. There was only a small bite taken out of the toast and Nico did not appear to remember the food.

“What are you reading?”

“ _ East of Eden _ .”

“Hey! I read that in high school! I stayed up all night to finish it.”

Nico barely made a noise as he flipped the page. 

“So we have a few hours before we start preparing lunch, want to go out to the beach? It’s only a few minutes away,” there was no answer, “It isn’t too hot out.”

Nico stood up, picking up his book and walked away, he heard a very quiet, “No thank you.”

A bit disappointed but not willing to waste the free time, Will tried to keep a smile on his face as he went to go get his stuff for the beach. Maybe Nico will warm up to him with time. From somewhere in the house, a door slammed shut. 


	2. Chapter 2

Will tried to keep out of the Di Angelo’s way as he helped unload the van. Mr. Di Angelo would not look a single soul in the eyes and had retreated to his bedroom the moment he arrived. He seemed to cope by appearing even more menacing than usual, glaring at everything that moved. The house only served to add to the effect. It was about four times the size of the town house they spent the summer in. The house was built of a dusty colored stone and was tiled with shiny black shingles. Large gothic windows and balconies with black iron railings stood out prominently from the stone structure. Strangely intricate statues of bodies meshed together decorated the front lawn, surrounded by almost mockingly bright white and pink flowers. A thick border of pine and eucalyptus trees gave the property a sense of privacy from the surrounding streets, also hiding the tall gates that surrounded the house. 

Fatima was directing the movers as they unloaded the dishes, huffing and clucking as she inevitably started doing it herself. Will tried to help, but she quickly made him unload towels instead. A large smoke colored dog had joined them and seemed to find immense pleasure in following Will up and down the path. 

He did not know where Nico had gone but he supposed that he too wanted some time alone. It had only been about a week since Maria had passed away and Nico had hardly spoken a word since. At the funeral, all Nico did was hang his head, looking at nothing but the grave as people spoke of Maria. Mr. Di Angelo did not even come. It was a rather strange event. The people who came did not seem to get along. They came to give their condolences to Nico and to ask where his father was. However, because the other boy would not answer, Will answered for him. His father and his aunt had come, only to stand on complete opposites of the grave and glare at each other. The man he had seen the day Nico came back home was also there. There were many others but Will could not recall them all. He knew that Bianca had come but Nico had left the moment she came and Will left with him. The day was hectic and somehow he felt the strangest responsibility to make sure that Nico was okay. So most of his day was spent watching the boy who did not move a step away from the grave. 

Will could see movement through the large windows and Fatima, who saw him look, urged him to go check on the “Di Angelo boys”. 

“I’m coming in,” he said to no one in particular as he entered the house. The dog ran ahead of him as he opened the door. The house was obviously decorated by Maria. Despite the rather menacing exterior the inside was filled with brightly colored woods and bright brass vases. The marble flooring was a stunning white and the large windows let in just enough sunlight to keep the house bathed in it without blinding him. 

“Mrs. O’Leary,” he heard, followed by a small crash. He raced towards the sound and found Nico on the floor with the shaggy dog on top of him. For a moment he thought that Nico was smiling but the passing smile was quickly replaced by a grimace as the dog lapped at his face. 

Will found the scene amusing and quite heart warming. He had heard of Nico’s dog and he knew that he was terribly fond of it. At least he assumed Nico was, not a lot of people could jump Nico and not be given one of his infamous death glares. As he crouched down besides Nico to help the boy up, Nico reluctantly gave him his hand.

“You okay, Nico? No need for me to get you some bandages?”

Nico frowned, unamused, “I’m fine.”

Still holding onto the smaller boy’s hands, he again noticed that they were cold. He has assumed that it was bad circulation a while ago but nobody should ever be that cold. Nico coughed, tugging at his hand. Will dropped it and flashed a smile, trying to hid his blush.

“Want to point me to your room? I’m helping the movers bring up boxes,” well technically he wasn’t exactly handling Nico’s stuff but he thought that it seemed more appropriate that he helped out and well maybe was a little bit interested in how Nico’s room looked. Nico’s room at the other house was deadly plain and all his stuff was left in the cardboard boxes they were brought there in.

“Top floor first door to the left,” Nico said, his attention back on the large scruffy dog. 

Used to being partially ignored by him, Will nodded and went back out to help bring in the boxes. As he walked out he realized that there were other people in the house. They were either housekeepers or secretaries of some sort. He was certain that the house was empty when he walked in. It unnerved him a bit, that they made so little noise as they walked past him, too interested in their destinations to look anywhere but. There were at least half a dozen people, constantly, in the main entrance. None of them acknowledged one another but many of them were murmuring to themselves.

A mover pushed open the door and put down a box. He gave Will a nod, but like him, did not seem to notice the other people walking about. He shook his head in a vain attempt to throw off the uneasy feeling and went outside, where the movers had stacked quite a few boxes around the doorway, creating a little wall.

Fatima was looking through a few of the boxes, making certain that nothing was cracked.

“Hey! Do you know which boxes are Nico’s?”

The housekeeper pointed at a stack that was rather dusty. Thanking her, he picked up a few of the boxes, surprising himself with how heavy they were. After walking up a set of stairs, he began to regret his decision to carry so many boxes at once. Three. There were three floors in the house. Unlike the other house, there were nearly no pictures on the walls and the vases were empty. 

The door that led to Nico’s room was quite… well it was quite strange. Like all the doors in the house, it was made of hardwood. However, the wood was not the warm mahogany like the rest. It was wood, but the wood was so dark it was almost black and there was a large silver knocker on the center of the door shaped like a skull. The skull held the heavy ring in between broken teeth. Uncertain if he should use the knocker or not, he put down the boxes and knocked on the door. Light footsteps were followed by the opening of the door. Will stuck his head in to see Nico lying down in his bed staring at the ceiling. 

“Hey, I brought some of your stuff.”

Nico answered by blinking, which Will took as, “Why thanks, Will. Bring them in if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing!”

Nico rolled over onto his stomach. The size of the bed dwarfed him and his small stature. But somehow it looked right. The room was large, larger than the living room at the other house. The walls were gray, covered with bookshelves containing miscellaneous objects and a few rows of books. A walk in closet was open and seemed to be filled with clothes of all Nico’s favorite colors, varying shades of black and dark gray. The aviator jacket that Nico always wore was hung over the side of his bed.

“Why are you talking to yourself?”

Will put down the boxes next to Nico’s bed and sat down to the boy, “Because a certain someone isn’t talking to me and I get lonely.”

Nico didn’t seem to look too happy about him sitting on his bed but he seemed in a much better mood than he did the day before. He had yet to push him out or told him to leave him alone, which seemed to be a very common phrase for the young boy. Will found it rather endearing. 

“So how are you feeling?”

“My mother just died last week. How do you think I’m feeling?”

Feeling a little uneasy, he tried to focus on something else, “Need any help unpacking?”

Nico crawled on his stomach to the edge of the bed where he used a key to cut off the tape. Without much effort, he had opened the box, which was filled with binders. Nico stacked the binders besides him on the bed. The binders were filled with plastic sheets. 

Will put his elbows on his knees to prop his head up, “Are those cards?”

“Mmm,” Nico hummed, still too busy taking out cards to care about him.

“You still collect Pokemon cards?”

Nico stopped and gave him an incredulous look, “Pokemon cards…”

Well, he took that as a no. 

“Yugioh cards?” 

Another blank looks and a few more blinks. 

“So… baseball cards? Never took you as the type to like sports.”

“They’re not baseball cards. They’re Mythomagic cards.”

“Hey! I have a friend that collects those.”

Another blink, “Oh.”

Nico flipped open a binder and began to look through the pages of cards, stopping at one of a man standing in front of a sun. The man had blonde hair and blue eyes, he wore ancient Greek armor and carried some sort of wooden harp on his back. Nico pointed at the card.

“You remind me of him, Apollo.”

“Hey! That’s my dad’s name.”

Nico blinked and flipped the page, “I don’t like that card. He’s useful but his set backs are annoying.”

Before Will could think of anything to say, there was a rapid knocking at the door. Without waiting for an answer, the person entered. She appeared to be one of the strange people walking around the house. She possibly could have been, considering that her overall appearance was so spectacularly plain if he looked away he doubt he could have remembered a thing about her. She was quite pale with brown hair that was put in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Even her flowery blouse that she wore under her fawn colored cardigan looked particularly dull. However, while normally she could have probably stolen a car without garnering a single look, she had a terribly displeased look on her face that currently demanded attention.

“Nico, have you prepared anything at all? Your dear father is under so much stress already and here you are playing with cards? Have you even registered for classes yet? It’s so difficult to register for classes nowadays. You already missed orientation, you can’t make yourself fall behind before school even starts,” the woman lectured, tapping a pen that she had tucked behind her ear as she spoke. 

After a few moments of Nico not responding, she turned to Will, “Now what about you? Registered for your classes?”

Will looked over to Nico for help, or at least some clue of who the woman was, but received nothing. Nico was casually flipping through the laminated sheets in his binder. If he didn’t know Nico any better, he would have thought that the boy was messing with him.

“Uh yeah. I registered already. Although we don’t really go to the same school so I don’t think Nico is going to do the same thing.”

She pursed her lips, “Bought your textbooks? Supplies? Know your professors. There is a lot more to being a good student than registering for classes.”

“Well I had a few of these professors last year.”

“Well aren’t you a  _ good  _ boy. Now what about transportation and-”

Nico sighed, “Alecto, why are you here? Did my father tell you to check on me again.”

The woman frowned at him, “I do things because they must be done, not because your father tells me to. If no one is taking charge of your schooling, than I must. We can’t let you out of our sight just because you’re eighteen.”

“I’m not a child-”

“Of course you’re not, Nicholas.”

“My name isn’t even Nicholas.”

A smile spread slowly onto her face, and suddenly, Will realized that she was much less intimidating when she was frowning, “Of course not. Such a pity, Nicholas is such a lovely name. Now don’t let your fraternizing get in the way of your schooling, dear.  I’ll have a ride arranged for you two to get school supplies right away. Make a list so you don’t forget anything.”

She walked over to pat Nico on the head and left a stack of papers besides him before she left. 

“Uhh, she’s interesting.”

“Wait until you meet the rest of them.”

After the movers had left, Will found himself in a room about three times the size of his room in the other house. Considering the only large items he owned was his surfboard and his archery set, the room was terribly lonely. By now, he realized that most of the people who spent their time walking around worked for Mr. Di Angelo, who seemed to have made his home into an office place. The top floor seemed to be used exclusively for bedrooms while the other floors, and apparently the basement were a mix between a house and a law firm. It was rather strange, when he was helping Fatima put back the dishes, he realized that there was a printing room right besides the pantry. Fatima was not the only housekeeper either. Her two other sister also worked with her, along with probably a dozen other housekeepers that were needed to keep a house of that size clean. 

He didn’t have to work, but he decided to anyways, finding the inside of the house a bit too large for comfort. In a few minutes, he found the garden shed and got to work pruning the roses. The garden reminded him of Maria. Although he couldn’t help but wonder if Mr. Di Angelo played a part in it’s making. While the man didn’t seem to care for flowers, the house they lived in before was filled with them.

“Tea roses, they have a lovely aroma, don’t you think?”

People around here had to stop appearing out of nowhere.

The woman behind him looked to be in her mid-twenties and didn’t really seem to look as if she was one of the gardeners, despite the hat and gloves she wore. Her honey colored hair was immaculately curled and she wore a light sundress that fluttered in the nonexistent wind. There was something about her face that seemed a bit too familiar. For a moment, he thought it was her eyes. They were blue, at least he thought they were until the shade of her straw hat blocked out the sun. No, they were hazel. Even he had to admit that she was pretty. 

“I don’t know too much about flowers. But yeah, they’re really pretty.”

The woman removed her gloves and stuck out a manicured hand, “Persephone, I’m a friend of Hades. I thought I’d check up on him.”

She didn’t look like someone that’d be friends with Mr. Di Angelo. Actually, he never thought that the man had friends other than his wife. Shaking the thought out of his head, he took her hand and shook it.

“Will Solace, I’m staying with the family while I go to school.”

Persephone cupped one of the roses in her hand, “A friend of the boy’s I suppose? It is rather unfortunate that his mother had to pass so soon. He is an interesting boy. A very interesting one. Do you like gardening?”

“I did some yard work at their temporary home.”

Persephone clapped her hands together, “Perfect. I need some help digging holes for some new trees. Nothing like a nice young able bodied man to help out.” 

Will notice some curtains moving and saw a slim figure move away from the window.

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will start getting a bit more interesting next chapter~


End file.
